Sprinkler



April 1934- w. H. COLES ET AL 1,954,863

SPRINKLER Filed March 9, 1931 Patented Apr. 17, 1934 UNITED STATES SPRINKLER Walter H. Coles and Bert J. Nelson, Troy, Ohio, assignors to The Skinner Irrigation Company, Troy, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application March 9, 1931, Serial No. 521,117

6 Claims.

This invention relates to water distribution and more particularly to a novel sprinkler head or nozzle.

One object of the invention is the provision of a nozzle having a water deflecting surface arranged to give a practically semi-circular spray of water.

A further object of the invention isthe provision of a nozzle which distributes a substantially uniform volume of water over the entire section of the spray.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a nozzle having a frusto-conical surfaceagainst which a stream of water is directed, the axis of the cone being at right angles to the direction of flow of water against it.

It is a further object to provide a nozzle producing a spray substantially semi-circular in shape, reinforced at its edges against wind reactions.

Other objectsand advantages will be apparent from the detailed description, the accompanying drawing, and the appended claims.

In the drawing- Fig. 1 is a partial vertical sectional view of a sprinkler having a nozzle embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the nozzle and of the cutter by which it is made;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and,

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view showing the water distribution curves obtained with the nozzles known in the prior art and with that disclosed in the present application.

Referring now in detail to the accompanying drawing, wherein thereis illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is shown an annular casing 19, provided with an interior opening extending throughout its length 11. The casing 10 is screw threaded at its lower end 12 for attachment to a water pipe. Intermediate its ends, the casing is formed with a shoulder 13 of reduced internal diameter which is adapted to serve as a stop member. The upper portion 14 of the casing is flared outwardly to form a suitable support for the sprinkler head.

Within the casing, there is located a longitudinally movable plunger member 16 which is provided with an internal bore 17. A flange 13 is formed at the lower end of the plunger and is adapted to rest against the shoulder 13 of the casing when the plunger is in its upper position. The upper end 20 of the plunger is screw threaded into a cylindrical coupling 22 which is provided with an internal bore and internal threads throughout its length. The nozzle, indicated generally as 24, is adapted to screw into the coupling member 22 and is provided with an internal bore 25, of lesser diameter than that of the coupling member, and a slot 26 from, which the water is projected. The casing 10 is provided at its upper end with a circular groove 27 which is adapted to receive an outwardly extending end 28 of the nozzle, when the sprinkler head is not in use, so that the nozzle will be held flush with the upper end 14 of the casing. A groove 30 is formed in the internal wall of casing 10 and is adapted to receive a pin 31 mounted in the coupling member 22 forthe purpose of preventing a rotation of the nozzle about its longitudinal axis.

The sprinkler head is adapted to stand when in use in the vertically extended position as shown, but when no water is supplied to it, the entire nozzle structure including the coupling member 22 and the plunger 16 fall by gravity to their lower position wherein the nozzle is completely enclosed within the casing, with its top flush with the top of the casing. In this position the nozzle presents no obstruction, and is suitable for use as a lawn sprinkler. When water under normal pressure is supplied to the nozzle, the pressure of the water acting against the flange 18 as well as against the end of the nozzle member 24, causes the same to assume the position shown in the drawing wherein it is immediately in operative position without necessitating any manual preparation. The pressure is sufficient to cause flange 18 to engage the shoulder 13 with such force as to prevent any objectionable escape of water into the interior portion 11 of the casing.

While the nozzle of the present invention is herein shown as applied to the pop up type of sprinkler, it will be obvious that it may be fixed in position or attached directly to a water distribution pipe.

With the nozzles heretofore known in the prior art, the chief difficulty in attempting to obtain a semi-circular distribution of water has been to obtain a suiiicient throw of water to the edges of the semi-circle. Because of the greater resistance offered to the flow of water toward the edges, the distribution was usually-more nearly parabolic, as indicated by curve 35. With the present invention, however, it is possible to obtain a practically true semi-circular distribution as shown by curve 36. In accordance with the present invention the nozzle is formed from a circular bar of metal 40 by milling a slot transversely of the bar. A circular cutter 42, provided with cutting teeth 43 is preferably used to cut the slot in the nozzle. As indicated, the cutter is fed into the bar at right angles to the axis of the same and at the same time is rotated about its own axis. The teeth of the cutter are provided with one face 44 which isparallel with the axis of rotation of the cutter and another face 45 oblique thereto. It is evident therefore that the surface defined by the face 44 will be a concave cylindrical surface, indicated as 46, while the sur face defined by the face 45 will be a convex, frusto-conical surface indicated as 47. These two surfaces are surfaces of revolution, one being the locus of a line perpendicular to and rotating about an axis at right angles to the axis of the nozzle passage 25 which terminates at the lower face of the slot, and the other being the locus of a line oblique to the first line and also rotating about an axis at right angles to the axis of passage 25 of the nozzle. The lines referred to which define the surfaces of revolution forming the top and bottom of the slot are preferably straight lines, as shown, although they may be slightly curved, depending upon desired condi tions.

The greatest resistance to the fiow of water through passage 25 and the greatest angle of deflection is in the center of the stream, and this is relieved as the surface departs from the center line or axis of the stream. Thus the deflecting surface is provided which is formed to provide a continually decreasing angle of deflection as the surface departs from the axis of the stream and also as the surface departs from the end of the water supply passage. This places the greatest resistance in the'center of the spray, and increases the amount of water delivered to the edges of the spray. This results in producing a greater coverage sidewise of the spray than would be the case with other types of nozzles. Instead of a spray with a longer throw straight out from the nozzle, and a shorter throw sidewise as for instance would be the case with a cylindrical deflecting surface, a spray is here provided which is practically semicircular in shape, delivering a substantial volume of water sidewise. Instead of a nozzle throwing most of the water in front, and only small portions to the sides, the present nozzle produces practically uniform coverage throughout the semicircle.

The two surfaces 44 and 45 of the cutter may intersect each other at a point, and therefore cause the two surfaces 46 and 4'7 of the slot to intersect. In some cases, however, it is desirable to form the cutting teeth with blunt-points, so that the two surfaces of the slot do not intersect. In such a case, there occurs an extra accumulation of water at the base of the slot with the result that the extreme edge of the spray is slightly heavier than the remainder thereof. This is a valuable advantage to compensate for'wind reaction which might otherwise tend to blow the spray away from the line to be watered. The extra flow afforded by this accumulation of water at the side edges serves to resist the wind and to hold the spray in position.

While the form of apparatus herein described constitutes a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise form of apparatus, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A nozzle formed of a bar of metal having a transverse slot and a longitudinal bore terminating at said slot, the upper surface of said slot being frusto-conical in shape with the axis of the cone at substantially right angles to said bore.

2. A nozzle having a central bore and a slot extending transversely thereto, said slot having a convex frusto-conical surface against which the water is directed from said central bore.

3. A nozzle formed from a bar of metal having a slot, said slot being defined by two surfaces of revolution, one being the locus of a line rotating about an axis at right angles to the axis of the bar, and the other being the locus of a line oblique to the first line and rotating about an axis at right angles to the axis of the bar, said nozzle having a longitudinal bore terminating at said first mentioned surface of revolution.

4. A nozzle formed from a bar of metal having a slot defined by two surfaces of revolution, one being the locus of a line perpendicular to and rotating about an axis at right angles to the axis of the bar, and the other being the locus of a line oblique to the first line and rotating about an axis at .right angles to the axis of the bar, said nozzle having a longitudinal bore terminating at said first mentioned surface of revolution.

5. A nozzle formed in a bar of metal having a transverse slot and a longitudinal bore terminating at one face of said slot, said slot being defined by two curved surfaces oblique to each other, and by a third surface intersecting each of said curved surfaces, the face opposite the end of said bore being substantially frusto-conical in shape, whereby a semi-circular spray of water, reinforced adjacent its edges against wind reactions, is obtained.

6. A nozzle having a water supply bore and a discharge opening transverse to said bore, said opening having a deflecting surface against which the stream of water passing through said bore is directed and over which it passes with a substantially uniform lateral deflection, the said surface being so formed that as the distance from the bore increases the deflection angularity of the surface presented to the flowing water at any point remote from the said bore is decreased in a variable proportion, in at least two directions, whereby at any distance from said bore the deflection resistance at such distant point is proportionately adjusted to the residual impelling energy remaining in the flowing water at such point.

WALTER H. COLES. BERT J. NELSON. 

